Zuo Xiying, a professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, said the US' default on its UN payment will directly affect the agency's functions and set a bad example for the whole world.

The arrearage, he said, could be regarded as a utilitarian perspective, which reflects the US' attitude of paying the share for its own benefit.

"It indicates that Washington's 'multilateralism' is an interest-centered and interest-oriented one. If it is good for the US, the country will use it. If not, it will abandon it," the professor said.

Budget obligations for UN member states are based on economic factors such as gross national income, making the US, China and Japan the top three contributors to the budget.

The US accounts for 22 percent of the upcoming budget, with China at 15.25 percent, a rise from 12.01 percent in the current period, and Japan at 8.03 percent, a decrease from the current 8.56 percent.

As of Dec 23, 145 member states, including China, have paid their regular budget assessments in full, the UN said.

Slight reduction

The newly approved budget amount was the same as the $3.12 billion budget unveiled by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in mid-October, which is slightly lower than that of last year, a reduction of 2.8 percent despite additional activities and mandates.

The UN has a separate budget for its peacekeeping operations. The peacekeeping budget is $6.38 billion for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2022. The regular budget covers the calendar year.

With the start of the 2020 fiscal year, the UN Secretariat shifted from a biennium to an annual budget cycle for the first time since 1973. It is the organization's third annual budget in 50 years.

The regular budget covers UN activities across a range of areas, including political affairs, international justice and law, regional cooperation for development, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and public information.

Under then-president Donald Trump's administration, the US withdrew from the World Health Organization last year, with its share of the fund unpaid.

Experts widely criticized the move, saying it would be catastrophic for public health in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

"What most of us look for is the technology. And the advantage of Chinese phones is that they offer the latest technology, but at affordable prices," he said. "I believe through Chinese phones, Africans will always be on par with the latest trends."

Like Nkaiseli, more people in Kenya and other countries in Africa have been up to date with the latest information and technology using Chinese smartphones, resulting in Chinese brands dominating the continent's market.

Two of the top three smartphone brands in the African market are Chinese. Transsion brands led the market in the third quarter of this year with a share of 47 percent, while Xiaomi ranked third with a 6 percent market share, according to a report by global research firm International Data Corporation last week. Samsung placed second with a share of 21 percent in Africa.

Africa's mobile phone market enjoyed year-on-year growth of 14 percent in the first quarter of the year for a total of 53.3 million units.

Mercy Kamau, an electronic business owner, is one of thousands in Kenya that distribute products both from China and Western countries. Kamau said Chinese products usually move the fastest.

Chinese products come in a wide range of prices to suit different groups of customers, which make them more popular, she said.

"It depends on what the customer is asking for. Chinese manufacturers know what the customer wants. If it's a phone for $15, I have it. If it's a phone for $250, I still have it," she said.

Taher Abdel-Hameed, a senior research analyst at IDC, said the increased specifications and smartphone attributes from China are making prices competitive, resulting in sales growth in the continent.

The Omicron COVID-19 variant, first reported by South Africa in November, continues to spread across the continent despite various national containment efforts.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said on Friday evidence from South Africa shows while hospitalizations have increased by almost 70 percent in the past seven days, Intensive Care Unit bed occupancy rates remain low at 7.5 percent.

She added just 14 percent of hospitalized patients in South Africa are reported to have needed supplemental oxygen, and deaths have remained low.

"Africa may not reach the 70 percent vaccination coverage target until August 2024", she said. Just six countries have hit the year-end target of fully vaccinating 40 percent of their citizens, with only 20 managing to achieve 10 percent coverage, she said.

"I cannot stress strongly enough that vaccination is our best defense against the COVID-19 pandemic. We are at a pivotal moment, and complacency is our enemy. Africa is seeing more consistent delivery of vaccine doses, and we can still save many lives if we urgently accelerate the pace of vaccination," she added.

African countries have rolled out mass vaccination drives to contain further spread of the virus. The vaccinations have been picking up in recent months, having initially moved very slowly due to a slow arrival of the life-saving doses.

Southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the continent, while Central Africa is the least affected region, according to the Africa CDC.

"In real terms, if African countries get the doses and support necessary to vaccinate 70 percent of their populations as is the case for many wealthy countries, we could avert tens of thousands of deaths from COVID-19 in 2022," Moeti said.

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC, in a press conference on Friday said Africa must work urgently toward equitable access to safe and effective vaccines on the continent.

"As vaccine supply increases in many countries, efforts to identify and address barriers to getting shots into arms are critical. Without immediate, coordinated support to address these bottlenecks, the pace of vaccination will remain slow, in spite of the great demand for COVID-19 vaccination," he said.

According to Moeti, WHO Africa's COVID-19 strategy going forward into 2022 continues to focus on boosting vaccine coverage. It will also concentrate on increasing surveillance to improve detection and to track new variants of concern.

"The fact that we presented the text of Iran's proposal to the negotiating parties shows that we are serious in the talks, and if the other side is also serious about the removal of (US) sanctions, we will achieve a good agreement," the state news agency IRNA quoted Raisi as saying.

On Sunday, the G7 said time was running out for Iran to agree a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

G7 host Britain said resumed talks in Vienna were the Islamic republic's "last chance to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution".

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said on Saturday: "In parallel with the Vienna talks to remove sanctions, we are also following the neutralization of sanctions."

He pointed to developing relations between Iran and neighboring states as a means to reduce the pressure of sanctions imposed by the United States.

A 20-year comprehensive cooperation agreement with Russia has almost been finalized, and necessary permission from the cabinet will be obtained to negotiate it, he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Raisi told Iranian diplomats that if the US lifts sanctions imposed on Iran, he was confident that a deal could be reached.

Raisi, who made the remarks at a meeting of ambassadors and heads of missions of Iran to the neighboring countries, said that "if the other side is determined to lift the sanctions, a good agreement will be reached, and we are looking for that".

Underlying his administration's policy for improving relations with the neighboring states, he said, Iran's neighborhood policy and relations with neighbors to counter and neutralize sanctions is a strategic move rather than a tactical one.

Sticking points

Iran's top negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, said on Saturday that several issues remained unresolved in the Vienna talks.

"Several points of difference have remained which require decision-making at the high level, and these are still on the table unresolved," Kani told state-run Press TV.

On Saturday, a top Iranian military official warned of a "heavy price" for aggressors, state media said, after a report of US and Israeli plans for possible military drills to prepare for strikes against Iran's nuclear sites if diplomacy fails.

"I am delighted to take off for a historic visit, the first of its kind, to the UAE," Bennett said in a video statement at the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv ahead of his departure.

Bennett said he will meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday, and will also meet "dozens of other ministers and senior officials."

The visit, coming some 14 months after Israel and the UAE normalized ties, is "intended to deepen the cooperation between the countries in all areas," Bennett said.

He added that the ties are already "excellent and branching, and we must continue to nurture and strengthen them, and build the warm peace between the two peoples."

The visit comes amid Israeli diplomatic bids to halt the nuclear talks between world powers and Iran.

The trip also marks the first official visit of an Israeli prime minister to the Gulf country.

Israel and the UAE signed the so-called Abraham Accord, a US-brokered normalization agreement, in September 2020.

In late June, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid flew to the UAE, in the first visit by a senior Israeli official, to open the first Israeli embassy in the Gulf state. About a month later, the UAE inaugurated its embassy in Israel.

From Monday to Friday, the P4+1 group (China, Britain, France and Russia plus Germany), the European Union and Iran held in-depth discussions aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.

China hopes that each party's consultation with their own governments during the adjournment of the talks until next week will inject new political impetus into the negotiations, said Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna.

The talks helped other parties to increase their understanding of the position of the negotiation team of Iran's new government, Wang explained.

China hopes all concerned parties will, during the adjournment of the talks, continue to work towards creating a good atmosphere for negotiations, he said.

China will continue to firmly support the resumption of the negotiation process between the United States and Iran, Wang said, and to play a unique and constructive role working with all parties for achieving results at an early date.

During the five-day talks, Iran submitted draft proposals for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which the United States withdrew in 2018.

However, senior diplomats from Britain, France and Germany on Friday voiced "disappointment and concern after thoroughly and carefully analyzing Iranian proposed changes to the text negotiated during the previous six rounds."

Wang said after the meeting that dialogue should be continued so as to explore and expand consensus by focusing on the text and proposals on it, even though there are still differences.

The last round of talks over the restoration of the 2015 deal was held in June.

The US government under Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May 2018, and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. Iran has retaliated by gradually stopping implementing elements of the deal since May 2019.